TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan took first place in the annual road bicycle racing stage race Tour de Taiwan for the first time, while a Taiwanese cyclist defended his title as the top finisher from an Asian country.

Taiwan's team completed the five-stage race, which began on Sunday (Oct. 2), with a time of 46 hours, 34 minutes, and 24 seconds. This marks the first time a Taiwan team has taken first place since the competition was incorporated into the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Asia Tour in 2005.

In addition, team member Li Ting-wei (李廷威) finished in sixth place overall, enough to earn him the blue jersey, which he also won in 2020, but was not able to compete for in 2021 due to the pandemic. The tour awards the blue jersey to the best finisher from an Asian nation.

The two consecutive blue jerseys are a personal best for Feng Chun-kai (馮俊凱), who came in sixth overall in this year's race with a time of 15 hours, 30 minutes, and 54 seconds. Feng, a member of UCI WorldTeam Team Bahrain Victorious, attributed his win to the "baptism of European and American competition with the world's first-class teams" leading up to the race. He said this helped improve his technique, build strength, and gain experience, according to Tour de Taiwan.

The overall individual winner of the race was Ben Dyball from Australia, with a time of 15 hours, 29 minutes, and 5 seconds, making him the third Australian in a row to win the tour. The previous two winners of the Tour de Taiwan were also from Australia, namely Nicholas White who won in 2020, and Jonathan Clarke who came in first in 2019.

Feng Chun-kai (third from left). (Facebook, Tour de Taiwan photo)

Feng celebrates on podium. (Facebook, Tour de Taiwan photo)